Cross Fate
by x3AngelicDevilx
Summary: I don't own Fairy Tail or the characters. All rights are owned by Hiro Mashima.
1. The Beginning

Creeping out of the gigantic door, she felt like an intruder. She felt that the doors resembled prison gates. As she walked out of the mansion, she headed towards a large grave.

"_I'm leaving. I can't stand living with that man. Don't worry mom. I'll take good care of myself and I love you._" She whispered to the grave. With a heavy heart, the blond haired girl dashed out of the property, glancing back once in a while. That girl was Lucy Heartfilia, a wannabe writer.

It was 6am when Lucy reached the train station. She had been waiting for this day and finally, it came. The day she ran away from home-No, the day she ran away from hell would be exactly how Lucy would have described it as. With only one million Jewels to her name, she boarded the train heading to Fiore.

"_I'll finally be able to live my own life! I'm no longer 'Lucky Lucy', just 'Lucy'_." She told herself with a determined look on her face.

"_I might as well make myself comfortable if I'm going to be on this train for five hours_." Lucy took out her favorite magazine, the Weekly Sorcerer, from her pink fuchsia purse with her initials sown on it with gold thread. Slowly, she came to the page which shows all the famous schools in the continent, like Blue Pegasus, Phantom and Fairy Tail.

"_Fairy Tail, my dream school. Someday, I'll get to study there and get my very own photo spread. Like Mirajane!_" Lucy breathed as she flipped through the many photos of the beautiful Mirajane.

"_Dear passengers, we will be reaching Fiore in forty-five minutes. Thank you for travelling with us._" The train conductor announced. Waking up from her slumber, Lucy shrieked when she saw how messy her hair looked when she checked her appearance in her pink compact mirror. She rushed to the toilet to fix her very unkempt hair. Half an hour passed. Lucy was finally out of the toilet with her hair tied in a ponytail with a green ribbon, matching her green polka-dotted dress.

The train screeched to a stop at the station. Lucy hopped off the train, took a deep breath in and said, "_Finally! My new life has taken its very first step!"_ This was the beginning of Lucy Heartfilia's life as a writer, with nothing but her writing skills to help her become a world famous author.


	2. Natsu's Ride

"_Argh! Happy…how much longer? This is…torture_!" The guy with a Fairy Tail tattoo on his arm asked his companion, while trying very hard no to barf.

"_We'll reach Fiore in ten minutes, Natsu. I don't get it. Why did you insist to take the train back when you know you have motion sickness? We could've walked back you know_?" Happy questioned.

"_Because…I heard someone said that…Salamander was heading to Fiore…He could be Igneel…That's why I want to…go back as soon as possible...Ugh…_" Natsu answered.

"_Oh. But what if he is not Igneel? He disappeared seven years ago, Natsu. And-"_

"_I know it will be Igneel. Hello? We are using the term 'Salamander' here! Igneel is the only other Salamander in Fairy Tail!_" Natsu interrupted.

"_Yeah, maybe it really is him. Then you'll get to reunite with him, Natsu!_" Happy rejoiced.

"_Yeah…ugh…"_ Natsu moaned.

"Salamander, the term used to call someone in Fairy Tail who is smart, athletic and is the most important person for Fairy Tail. There has only been two Salamanders in Fairy Tail history. One of them was Igneel and the other was Natsu."

"_Woo-hoo! Finally! We are in Fiore! Come on Happy! Let's go look for Igneel!_" Natsu cheered.

"_Aye, sir!_" Happy replied with excitement. With that, they dashed out of the station with everyone turning their heads to find out what just zoomed passed them.

At that very same time, Lucy was at port and overheard a couple of girls talking, "_Ooh! Did you hear? Fairy Tail's Salamander is in town! He is so dreamy!_"

"_I know! I know! I heard he will be at the town square!_"

"_Hey, some girls were talking about the Salamander holding a party on his ship! I would die to go his party!_"

"_Hmm..the Salamander of Fairy Tail is in town? Maybe he can help me get in to Fairy Tail! Ooh! I can't wait to meet him!_" Lucy thought and she grinned from ear to ear with the possibility that she would get to go to one of the most famous schools in the continent.


	3. Salamander

Upon arrival at the town square, Lucy saw a huge group of girls crowding around someone. "_I bet the Salamander is over there._" Lucy thought as she made her way to the huge crowd.

"_Eh, Happy. I think we're lost. I don't see this town square anywhere!_" Natsu said, frustrated.

"_Aye…Natsu, I'm tired. Can we just rest for a while?_" Happy asked.

"_No way! We have got to find Igneel immediately! What if while we are resting, he leaves the town square? Happy, we'll go and grab a bite after we found Igneel._" Natsu told Happy encouragingly.

"_Do you even have money on you in the first place? Never mind. We'll figure it out along the way, like we always do._" Happy replied.

"_Yup! Hey, look_." Natsu said as he pointed to a group of girls running.

"_Come on! Salamander is going to be there for, like, ten more minutes!_" A girl among the group shrilled. Exchanging glances, both of them started to run after the girls, getting more and more excited about finding Igneel.

"_Ugh…excuse me…sorry_." Lucy mumbled as she jostled her way through unending sea of girls.

"_Ha-ha! Greetings! I'm so glad that there are so many people who support me! I'll be holding a party on my ship tonight and all of you are invited!_" The voice of a man boomed, followed by the excited shrieks of the girls crowding around him.

"_So he is Salamander?_" Lucy asked herself.

The Salamander saw Lucy and smirked. He asked, "_Hey, you should really come to my party._"

"_Thanks for the offer but I think I'll pass._" Lucy replied. Salamander then grabbed her hand and asked her again. "_Let me repeat this: I will NOT go to your party tonight! Now let go of me!_" Lucy yelled.

"_Hey!_" Natsu hollered. Everyone turned to face him. He walked to Salamander and asked, "_Hey, sir, have you seen the Salamander?_"

"_Are you blind? He is Salamander!_" A couple of girls told Natsu angrily.

"_Yup, I am Salamander._" The man replied with a smile. Simultaneously, he released Lucy's hand.

"_You aren't Igneel, so you can't be Salamander._" Natsu retorted.

"_Hey! Take that back!_" The group of girls shouted and attacked Natsu.

"_Ugh…_" Natsu groaned in pain.

"_Girls, girls, its ok. Here, kid. Take this and show it off to your friends._" Salamander said and handed Happy and Natsu an autographed photo.

"_No thanks._" Natsu replied and walked away. "_Happy, let's go home._"

"_Aye._" Happy answered and ran after Natsu, leaving the girls, Salamander and Lucy behind.


	4. Lucy meets Natsu

"_Hey! Hey wait up!_" Lucy called out.

"_Oh, it's you._" Happy said.

"_You were one of those girls crazy about the fake Salamander_." Natsu retorted.

"_I am not like those girls! I was passing by and what do you mean that that guy was a fake?_ _Have you seen the Salamander before?_" Lucy asked.

"_Of course! The real Salamander is Igneel and he isn't." _Natsu answered.

"_But there are two Salamanders in Fairy Tail. What if he is the second one?" _Lucy questioned.

"_He isn't. Natsu is." _Happy replied.

"_Ok, so how do you know he isn't Natsu?" _Lucy asked Happy.

"_Because I'm Natsu. Natsu Dragneel. The current Salamander of Fairy Tail." _Natsu told Lucy.

"_Pfft. Yeah, right." _Lucy snickered at the thought of Natsu being the Salamander of Fairy Tail. As Natsu and Happy argued with Lucy that Natsu is really the Salamander, someone boomed, "_Hey you! Don't go around spreading lies!_" It was the Salamander. "_I can prove that I am the real Salamander and he isn't. This group here is from Fairy Tail and they can tell you the truth." _He remarked and gestured to the group standing behind him.

"_Yeah! He is the real Salamander." "He is the Salamander. You kid, are a fake!"_ The group agreed.

"_You guys aren't from Fairy Tail! We have never seen you in the school before!" _Happy retorted.

"_Yeah! And if you really are from Fairy Tail, then where are your tattoos?" _Natsu asked.

"_Tattoos?" _The group murmured.

"_This one."_ Natsu said and pointed to the red tattoo on his arm. It was the Fairy Tail mark. "_So if you guys are really from Fairy Tail, then you should have a tattoo just like this. So where are yours?_" Natsu questioned, getting frustrated.

"_Uh…we don't have our tattoos yet because…Master told us that we were on the waiting list. We need to follow the Salamander around & do tasks before Master can accept us!_" Someone from the group replied loudly.

"_Really? Then why didn't Makarov tell me about a couple of newbies were going to join me? Oh right. It's because you guys are fakes! Master never puts anyone on any waiting list! When people want to join Fairy Tail, they are immediately accepted!_" Natsu retorted. The words, "immediately accepted" kept ringing in Lucy's ears. Her mind went wild with the possibility that she would get to enter her dream school.

The group and Salamander panicked. The Salamander was silent, he thought, "Damn! Is this kid really the Salamander? Oh God! I'm doomed!

"_Boss, what should we do? These kids revealed us!_" A guy wearing spectacles from the group asked aloud.

"_They aren't going to know. Now pipe down before anyone finds out that I'm a fake!" _The Salamander yelled. Natsu smirked at the fake Salamander revealing himself.

"_You are a fake!" _Lucy shouted at the top of her lungs.

"_No, that's not it! I am the Salamander! The real one!" _The fake denied.

"_There's no denying it! You revealed yourself! How dare you go around saying that you are from our school?"_ Happy reprimanded.

"_Ok, fine. I am a fake. But it was all so that I could earn some cash to help my sick mother." _He replied.

"_Uh, but boss. Your mom isn't sick. Hey, I think we should get out of here quick! Before they call the police!" _The same guy warned.

"That guy is an idiot." Natsu thought as the fake scolded the guy for revealing everything. "_If you guys are done with your argument, can you please leave already? Otherwise, I'm going to call the cops." _Natsu threatened. The fake Salamander, together with his group, ran off when Lucy took out her cellphone.

"_Hey, Natsu, sorry about just now."_ Lucy apologized.

"_That's ok. Besides, you must feel really sad that the guy you idolized was a fake." _Natsu told Lucy in a comforting way._ And, uh, after all this, I still don't know your name."_

"_Ugh. For the last time, I have NEVER idolized that guy and my name is Lucy." _Lucy replied. _"How about I treat you guys to a meal, to say thanks." _Lucy offered.

"_Why are you offering us a meal? We didn't do anything special."_ Happy asked.

"_You guys knew that that guy was a fake and if it wasn't for you guys, he would keep pestering me." _Lucy answered." _And I'm kind of hungry." _Lucy smiled sheepishly at her last remark. After exchanging glances, Natsu and Happy gladly took up Lucy's kind offer.


	5. One step closer

The trio walked into a restaurant. With the thought of Natsu and Happy belonging to Fairy Tail, Lucy had butterflies in her stomach just standing next to them. Her expression would have made people to think that she was going to her idol's concert. While having their meal, they talked about Fairy Tail. That was when Lucy started to go on and on about how much she wanted to study there. Natsu and Happy just stared at her.

When Lucy saw them staring blankly at her, she blushed and quickly told them, "_Look, it's not like I'm seriously obsessed with Fairy Tail. It's just that I want to go there so badly! But you guys don't have to bother about me. _Lucy smiled. She took out a couple of notes and said, "_I got to go pick up some stuff before I leave Fiore. Bye!" _As Lucy got up, Natsu and Happy thanked her profusely, making her blush.

When Lucy walked out of the restaurant, Happy called out to her.

"_What's up?" _Lucy asked.

"_You said you wanted to go to Fairy Tail, right?" _Natsu asked. Lucy nodded which made Natsu smile and said, "Then let's go!"

Lucy was very confused by this but when Happy saw the puzzled look on Lucy's face, he laughed, "_Lucy, you didn't forget that we are from Fairy Tail now did you? We can get you in to Fairy Tail!"_

Lucy was stunned. "_Oh right. No way! Seriously? Ok, let's go!" _Lucy rejoiced. The trio then headed to the train station, excited about going back to Fairy Tail with a new comrade.

When the train left the station, Natsu's motion sickness kicked in. Now, his job of explaining everything that happens in Fairy Tail has been taken over by Happy. He told Lucy what students in Fairy Tail do. To Lucy's surprise, Fairy Tail was not like those community schools she studied in. In Fairy Tail, students get to choose a task to do. These tasks are normally in service for the community. When the Master approves of their chosen task, they can leave and take on the challenge by themselves, with a partner or a group. Upon completion of the task, students get to keep the reward for their own expenses.

"_Wow. Fairy Tail is so different from the community school I went to. We had lessons and when we come back from a task, half of the reward money goes to the school."_ Lucy gasped.

"_Well, Fairy Tail is a school approved by the Royal Council. All schools under the Royal Council are different from community schools."_ Happy told Lucy.

"_Argh…Happy…when will this nightmare end?" _Natsu groaned. Happy started to go on and on about how he had told Natsu not to take the train but Natsu just won't listen. Natsu moaned in pain, not from the train ride but from Happy's lecture. It was like adding insult to injury.

"_Uh…Happy…is Natsu going to be ok? Cos' he looks like he is going to die." _Lucy asked, with a tinge of worry in her voice.

"_Oh, don't worry. He always gets motion sickness when he takes any type of transport." _Happy said. "_Why? You like him?" _

Lucy denied. After that, it was silent. Lucy stared out of the window while Happy snored away with Natsu beside him groaning and moaning constantly. "_I wonder what my life would be if I did not have such a father. I bet I would be showered with love and care, instead of wealth and fame. Maybe mom would still be alive." _Lucy thought.

"_Attention all passengers! We have arrived in Magnolia."_ The conductor's voice boomed across the speaker. His voice snapped Lucy out of her thoughts. She quickly woke Happy up and the two of them lugged Natsu off the train. The other passengers stared at them, bewildered.

As Lucy got off the train, she knew that her life was taking a turn for the better. She met the Salamander and his partner. Plus, she was about to enter the prestigious school, Fairy Tail. Lucy grinned at the thought of her being one step closer to accomplish all her life's goals.


	6. Fairy Tail

Upon arrival at Fairy Tail, Lucy was stunned. She had never expected that she would be invited to go to Fairy Tail by the famous Salamander, Natsu Dragneel. When the trio-Lucy, Natsu and Happy walked in, someone shouted out, "Hey! Natsu and Happy are back!" Natsu smiled and walked over to Master Makarov. They talked about Natsu's task and all of sudden, everyone in the room started fighting. Apparently, Natsu punched Gray which resulted into everyone fighting.

"_Is it always like this?" _Lucy asked.

"_Not really. Normally the boys create a bigger ruckus than this."_ A silky female voice answered. Lucy was surprised to see the person whom had answered her. It was none other than the lovely Mirajane.

"_No way! Mirajane? It is such a pleasure to meet you!" _Lucy breathed. "_Wait, you mean this place is always this noisy?"_

Mirajane smiled and nodded. Lucy nearly fainted. She had never expected that such a prestigious school would normally be creating a ruckus. When asked whether she was a newbie, Lucy nodded and explained to Mirajane how she got here. "_Well it's good to have you join us, Lucy. I bet Natsu and Happy have told you about how things work here in Fairy Tail. I hope you have a lot of fun here." _Mirajane said. Lucy smiled and thought, "_I guess I made the right decision to come here. Even though the guys fight like every day."_

Out of the blue, Master Makarov appeared and asked Lucy, "_You must be the newbie Natsu told me about. Welcome to our guild._" Lucy was confused. Was Fairy Tail a school or a guild? When she asked Master Makarov about this, he laughed heartily and replied, "_Technically, we are a guild but everyone calls guilds like these schools because we have quite a few lessons regarding the society. Therefore, the Royal Council decided to name all guilds under them as official schools."_

"_Hey!" _A red-headed teen shouted across the room. As she sauntered in, everyone stopped fighting and the room became so quiet that Lucy could hear people breathing heavily.

"_Ah, Erza! Welcome back! How was the task?" _Master Makarov asked.

"_It was rather easy." _Erza replied with a straight face. "_Natsu! Gray!"_

"_Yes Erza!" _The two guys who had tried to murder each other replied in unison.

"_Are you two getting along?" _Erza asked. Lucy eyes nearly popped when she saw the two enemies getting along. "_Aye!" _Natsu replied with a huge fake smile.

"_Natsu acting like Happy?" _Lucy thought with fear. She had heard rumors that Erza was the toughest girl in Fairy Tail but she had never known that everyone was terrified of her. When Erza asked Lucy whether she was new here, Lucy gulped and nodded.

"_Welcome. I am Erza Scarlet. Those two will show you around and help you."_ Erza said. Lucy thanked her and Erza marched off.

"_Wow! Thanks Mirajane! I just love this colour!" _Lucy exclaimed as she showed off her fresh pink Fairy Tail tattoo to a nonchalant Natsu. All of a sudden, Gray called out to her, asking Lucy when she would be going out on her first job.

"_Now that you mention it, I think I would go right after I find a place to stay."_ Lucy replied. When Natsu heard Lucy's words, he and Happy went off, unnoticed.

"_Well why don't you stay at Fairy Tail's female dormitory?"_ A petite girl asked.

"_Oh yeah. It is called Fairy Hills right? How much is the rent?"_ Lucy asked, getting more and more intrigued. When the girl told her the price of the rent, Lucy nearly fell off her chair. She had not expected that the rent for one room in Fairy Hills would be 100,000 Jewel a month. "_Ugh…I'll think about it. Thanks for the tip, Levy." _Lucy thanked.

"_You're welcome Lucy! Anyway, I heard from Natsu that you are writing a novel. So…can I be the first person to read your story? Please!" _Levy begged. After Levy's continuous begging, Lucy gave in and promised Levy that she would be the very first reader.

"_Ahh, Levy!" You're so wonderful!" _Two guys complimented in unison. They were Jet and Droy. Together with Levy, the three of them form the team-Shadow Gear. Levy and Lucy continued to chat like they had known each other forever. All of a sudden, Happy came in looking for Lucy.

"_Happy, what is it? Where have you and Natsu been?" _Lucy questioned. Happy quickly explained to her what they were doing. When Lucy found out that Happy and Natsu have been helping Lucy find a place to stay, she jumped for joy.

"_Well? Did you manage to find me a nice place to stay?" _Lucy asked with excitement.

"_Yup! We found two places which we found suitable for you, but we need you to go and have a look. So come on! Let's go!" _Happy said and pulled Lucy out the door. Lucy had never expected that Happy and Natsu would be so kind to her as to go to the extent to look for a place for her to stay. After viewing the two houses, Lucy settled with the one nearest to Fairy Tail with a rent of 70,000 Jewel a month. It sure was a steal. The house was in front of a beautiful lake and just a few blocks down, Lucy could find all types of shops. Plus, the view from her room was splendid.

When Lucy got back to Fairy Tail, she invited Levy to come over for a visit. Levy was overjoyed and the two girls went off.

"_Wow! Lucy, I love your room! It's so spacious and the view is spectacular!"_ Levy breathed.

Lucy smiled and replied, "_Well, I have to thank Natsu and Happy for their help. If it wasn't for them, I doubt I would be living here." _Lucy made a pot of tea and the two girls talked about everything and anything they could think of. A few hours later, Levy bade farewell to Lucy and left.

"_Today sure was wonderful. I can't wait for tomorrow!"_ Lucy said to herself.

"_Ah! Lucy! You have excellent taste! Your room is so cozy."_ Natsu said as he lied down on the bed.

Lucy was shocked when she heard Natsu's voice and asked, "_Why are here Natsu? Go back home!" _

"_I can't. I don't have a home and besides, we are partners now. We gotta stick together, Lucy."_ Natsu said without a care.

"_Yeah, Lucy!" _Happy replied.

Lucy grumbled and thought, "_No wonder they helped me find a place to stay. They wanted to stay with me as well!" _

"_Ok fine, you and Happy can stay, but DO NOT make a lot of noise!" _Lucy ordered. "_And, hey. How did you guys get in? I was at the front door the whole time and did not see you two come in."_

"_We came in through the window." _Natsu said as he pointed to the open window next to the bed. Lucy was frustrated and started reprimanding them that it was rude to enter a home through a window. However, Lucy just wasted her breath. Natsu and Happy fell asleep on her bed before she had even finished talking.

"_Ugh…well, at least with these guys around, my life will be full of surprises. I might like this kind of life." _Lucy thought with a smile. She made a makeshift bed on the floor and went to sleep.


	7. Lucy's First Job

A few days later, Lucy strolled to Fairy Tail, thinking about how this day might go. When she entered the room, it was a rowdy as the first day she was there.

"_I guess they don't take a break off." _Lucy said to herself as she dodged objects being thrown from one end of the room to the other. It was like an obstacle course with no idea when something might hit you on the head. Finally, she reached the bar counter, unscathed, or so she thought. As she sat down, a water balloon hit her on the back of her head, leaving her hair completely drenched. She grumbled as Mirajane handed her a towel.

"_Thanks Mirajane." _Lucy thanked as she dried her hair. Mirajane smiled and offered Lucy a cup of iced tea.

"_Eek! Gray! Get off of me!" _Lucy shrieked as she pushed Gray off her lap.

"_Argh…you don't have to be so rough about it…"_Gray moaned.

"_Gray! Get back here you droopy-eyed freak!" _Natsu yelled.

"_Oi, oi. Who you calling droopy-eyed, you hot-headed idiot?" _Gray hollered and the two of them got into a huge fight. All of a sudden, Levy came over. Lucy was so happy to see her. Lucy started asking Levy about Fairy Tail and apparently, she asked the right person. Levy knew everything about Fairy Tail's history and Lucy got a whole lot of information. After a while, Master Makarov came in and stopped the fight. From there, everyone went back to their own work.

"_Hey, Lucy! You ready to go for a job?" _Natsu called out as he and Happy walked over.

"_I'm not sure…What jobs are available?"_ Lucy asked. As they scanned through all the request fliers on the request board, Lucy kept complaining about the job being too dangerous or the reward money was too low.

"_Oi, Lucy, you got to stop complaining and pick a job!" _Happy scolded.

"_I think I might have an idea."_ Mirajane voiced. "_This is a new request and I think it'll be perfect for you Lucy!" _After looking through the flier, Lucy immediately accepted it. She then dragged the confused Natsu and Happy out the door.

"_Wait, Lucy. Don't you need Gray as well? We were supposed to work together right?"_ Happy asked.

"_Happy, you've been here longer than I have. Are you really sure you want Natsu and Gray next to each other?" _Lucy questioned.

"_Oh yeah. Forgot that they would kill each other." _Happy confessed, as he smiled sheepishly. Lucy rolled her eyes upon seeing Happy's sheepish smile. After purchasing the train tickets, the trio boarded the train. During their train ride, Natsu kept moaning and groaning. He would not stop complaining about how much torture he is undergoing.

"_Lucy, can you please tell us what is the job we are doing?"_ Happy asked. Lucy smiled and casually told them about the job. They were appalled and reprimanded her about her poor skills in choosing a job. Apparently, Lucy had accepted a job which required the applicant to perform for two nights and they only needed a girl. The reward money was a measly 70,000 Jewel, which was just enough to pay for Lucy's rent.

"_How could you have chosen a job that terrible? The reward money isn't high enough!" _Natsu complained.

"_Yeah Lucy! The client asked for a girl but we are a team! You have got to include EVERYONE in your team for a job, you know? If you go for this job, what are Natsu and I going to do?" _Happy complained.

As Lucy tried to calm them down, she explained, "_Ok, look. I can't do much and I'm quite good in singing and dancing so I chose this and besides, this is my first job. Don't you think my first job be about something I like to do? Oh, and by the way, the pay is just the right amount of cash I need to pay for my rent. So, if you guys continue to complain, you can say 'good-bye' to my lovely house."_

"_Ugh…fine…We won't complain, will that do?" _Natsu asked weakly. Happy nodded and promised as well, making Lucy smile.

Upon arrival at the town, Natsu, Happy and Lucy went off to have lunch. "_Man, I am starving!"_ Natsu said. Lucy shook her head in dismay and thought, "_Sheesh, Natsu sure changes very fast. One minute he was barfing and lifeless, the next minute he is full of energy and hungry."_

"_Oi, Lucy! Hurry up! You don't want to be left behind, do you?"_ Happy called out, breaking Lucy's train of thoughts. He and Natsu were already far ahead of Lucy. She ran up and finally managed to catch up with her companions as they walked into a restaurant.

While enjoying their scrumptious meal, Lucy started to talk about the job.

"_Fwat shouvd wif do whilsh you aresh on the jowb?"_ Natsu asked with a mouthful of rice. Lucy flicked a grain of rice off her aquamarine tank top and said, "_Natsu, please swallow and repeat what you said."_

Natsu then repeated," _I said: What should we do while you are on the job?" _

"_Well, I don't know, but I really wish that you two could come watch me carry out my first job."_ Lucy said, shyly.

Natsu and Happy looked at each other and replied in unison, "_Ok! We will go and watch your performance, Lucy!" _Lucy was overjoyed and as she took out some money to pay for their meal, she said, _"Come on, we have to reach the client's house at 4:20pm and the time now is…." She checked her watch and continued, "The time now is 3:50pm. We have to hurry; otherwise I won't get the job!" _Lucy quickly handed the money to a waiter and dragged Natsu and Happy out of the restaurant.

After a long and tiring walk, Natsu, Happy and Lucy finally reached the client's house. They were surprised to find out that the client lived in a huge mansion when he had only opened one theatre in town.

"_Hello, you must be here for the job, no?"_ A man wearing a butler's uniform asked. Lucy nodded and the butler continued, "_Well, please wait in the living room while Mr. Davidson holds the audition with the other 20 girls."_ Upon hearing the words 'other 20 girls', Lucy froze. She did not expect so many girls to be auditioning for the job.

"_Lucy, you ok? You look tensed." _Happy asked.

"_I'm f...fine…just a li…little…worried, that's all"_ Lucy stuttered. Natsu and Happy looked at each other with a worried look. This was not their Lucy. Their Lucy would not be afraid of something this easy.

"_Follow me, please." _The butler suddenly said and escorted the three of them into the living room. There were gold chandeliers hanging from the ceiling; the furniture was all imported and the room was so huge, it could fit two giants.

"_Wow…this place is huge!" _Natsu gawked. "_It is like an enormous playground!" _

"_I bet you can fill this room up with a ton of fish!" _Happy said in awe as his eyes sparkled.

"_I can put all the world's shoes in this room and still have a whole lot more space!" _Lucy remarked. They stared at the room in awe. Lucy looked at Happy; she had never thought that a guy like Happy would be obsessed with fish. "_He must've been a cat in his past life." _Lucy thought.

"_Please wait here until it's your turn. You may practice for your audition while waiting." _The butler suggested with a smile. Natsu, Happy and Lucy sat down on the sofa next to a group of girls anxiously preparing for their audition. As Lucy scanned the room, she could feel the anxiety and desperation the girls were feeling. The atmosphere in the room was very tense. No one spoke to each other, they just sang and danced like the living room was their dance studio.

As Lucy thought about what she would perform, the butler called out her name. She jumped upon hearing her name being called out so fast. She stood up and walked towards him. "_Good luck Lucy!" _Happy cheered with Natsu sleeping beside him. Lucy gave Happy a weak smile and followed the butler up the stairs to Mr. Davidson's studio. As she walked up the flight of stairs, she saw two girls running down, crying. That made Lucy much more nervous than before.

"_Good luck with you audition, Miss Lucy." _The butler said with a huge smile as he gestured Lucy to the studio. Lucy walked in slowly, afraid that she might fail her audition and bringing disgrace to her wonderful performing arts teacher, Mrs. Halley, who taught Lucy everything; from singing to playing the cello.

"_Hello, Miss Lucy. Are you ready for your audition?" _Mr. Davidson welcomed her. She gulped and greeted him. Her audition was underway.


End file.
